Elliot Richardson, who quit as attorney general rather than carry out Richard Nixon's orders, died Dec. 31, 1999. Runte apparently meant White House hopeful Bill Richardson.

We can make allowances for bloopers. In a new book of Ronald Reagan's presidential diaries, the Gipper writes of his newly named Environmental Protection Agency boss, William Ruckelshaus, as "Don Rumsfeld."

Luckily, the race has drawn Venus Velasquez and Bruce Harrell, two people who would help remedy the council's image for shaking taxes out of business and citizens, while confronting the mayor with shaking knees.

Joel Connelly has been a staff columnist for more than 30 years. He comments regularly on politics and public policy.

Noting that five separate tax increases will be on this fall's ballot, Velasquez declared: "We are now at the point not only of taxing business out of the city, but of taxing families out of the city. We need to move away from the idea that every time we have a priority, we take it out to the people."

Harrell agreed that taxes are too high, particularly the amount that business is asked to absorb. He stressed his "tools" as a mediator and conciliator, honed under Paul Kraabel -- the last Republican to serve on the Seattle City Council.

The words resonate. The council turned to voters in November with a record property-tax increase to pay for a basic city service -- repairing streets.

But this week, council members allocated $8.1 million to study the "surface-transit option" in replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Surface transit is a pet idea of those who seem to be forming Seattle's agenda these days and pushing for a gentrified, politically correct, largely childless, heavily taxed city, a place that embraces bicycles and exiles NBA basketball.

The Brooklyn-born Velasquez, a 16-year resident, cut her teeth with the city's Neighborhood Planning Office. She is running with Steinbrueck's support, but keeps careful distance from the auto-bashing incumbent: "I think Peter believes in creating behavioral change too fast."

Seattle School Board candidate Peter Maier came across at the forum as crisp, able and informed. Maier is a Harvard-trained lawyer who has headed Schools First, organizing school levy campaigns. He is taking on incumbent Sally Soriano, active in anti-World Trade Organization protests and part of an insurgent school slate elected in 2003.

The race will offer clear choices.

"The WASL test has become a punitive test," Soriano said. Maier argued, however, that the statewide test is "an appropriate means of introducing rigor and skills" that students need in college and the job market.

As for race relations, Soriano said "anti-racism, -sexism and -classism" belong in the curriculum of city schools. Maier stressed the importance of "individual relationships" and argued, "What really matters is that every child reach his or her potential."

Incumbent Alec Fisken spent three years as odd man out under the regime of just-retired port CEO Mic Dinsmore. He refused to go on junkets and walked out of "executive sessions" that strayed onto policy. He argued that the port's $68 billion tax levy is a subsidy for well-connected port businesses.

Fellow incumbent Bob Edwards touts deeds of the Dinsmore era, $5 million spent in 2006 on shoreline and environmental projects that will swell to $13 million this year: "These are your tax dollars at work."

Edwards faces two foes. Jack Block Jr. is a longshoreman and a Burien city councilman whose father served 27 years on the Port Commission. "There is an opportunity for the environment and working waterfront to coexist," he told the forum.

A policy wonk, Fisken has drawn a foe out of the business-trade community. The Port Commission job is non-partisan, but Democratic Web sites have toted up Bill Bryant's contributions to Republican candidates.

Bryant is, however, running as a GOP green in the Ruckelshaus-Dan Evans tradition. He argues that the Port of Seattle bears a major responsibility for cleaning up Elliott Bay.

He calls for a "State of the Bay" study, with the port as catalyst.

It's another choice between two good candidates. Democracy should give us more.

Columnist Joel Connelly has written about politics for the P-I since 1973.